Car door



T. MADLAND Jan. 23, 1940.

cm noon Filed Sept. -9, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Wf/v 70E- 7710514940 M904 6WD T. MADLAND 2,187,907

CAR DOOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 9, 1937 A //V Vf/V 7 0/ raw/s10 M601 6WD Patented Jan. 23, 1940 UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE CAR DOOR Thorvald Madland, Chicago, 111., assignor, to The Youngstown Steel Door Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application September 9, 1937, Serial No. 163,028

Claims.

This invention relates to sliding car doors of the lift type'.

It is" an object of this invention to provide railway car doors having means designed to elevate said doors from their frictional support upon tracks to support upon rollers for movement along said tracks, which means shall be simple, effective, inexpensive and easy to operate.

A further object is to provide means for elevating and supporting sliding doors upon rollers for movement along supporting tracks wherein said means are so designed as to eliminate journalled members.

A further object is to provide sliding lift doors embodying pins or axles and rollers rotatably mounted thereon wherein said roller pins act upon said doors to elevate them.

A further object is to provide sliding lift doors embodying pins and rollers rotatably mounted thereon wherein said pins are' shaped to form cams which are effective to elevate said doors.

Other objects of the invention will become clear as the description thereof proceeds.

In the drawings forming part of the specification:

Figure 1 is an elevation of the lower portion of a sliding lift car door embodying the instant invention.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the door in elevated position.

Figure 3 isan enlarged detail view of the door adjacent the lowerleft hand corner thereof.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3, the door being shown in elevated position.

Figure 5 is a vertical section taken on of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a vertical section of Figure 2.

Figure 7 is an enlarged detail of the elevating means showing diagrammatically'its relationship to the door.

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 7, showing the arrangement of elevating means when the door is elevated. i

Figure 9 is a perspective view of a roller pin.

Y-eferringto the drawings the invention is illine 55 taken on line 6 6 lustrated in-a metallic door l0 comprising a metallic panel l l in which may be formed the spaced horizontal corrugations l2 and the vertical borrugations l3 and I4.

In the particular cardoor illustrated the lowermost horizontal corrugation I2 is interrupted at a point adjacent the lower corners of the door by coping the metallic panel II as indicated at it in Figure 5 of the drawings. These coped portions are bridged by a metallic plate l6 secured to the inside of the metallic panel and by means of brackets I1 and I8 secured upon the outside of said panel as by means of rivets. The main body portions offset outwardly relative to the backing plate l6 I9 and 20 of the brackets I1 and I8 are c so as to provide pockets as clearly illlustrated in Figures 5 and 6 of the drawings.

Rollers 2| and 22 are received within these pockets, each roller being rotatably'mounted up-.

on a pin 23, the outer end of which extends through an opening in the bracket members and the inner end of which extends through an opening formed in a bottom reinforcing angle 24 secured to the lower margin of the panel. It will be observed from Figure 5 of the drawings that the angle member 24 is arranged with one leg 25 extending outwardly from the door in a horizontal plane while the other leg 26 is arranged vertically and is fastened to the backing plate:

. it. A roller bearing '21 is interposed between the pin and the roller.

The pin 23 is formed so as to present. an intermediate cylindrical portion 28 and end portions 29 and 30 which are in the form of cams- In the embodiment of the invention'illustrated these cam end portions of the pins are substantially trlangular in section although it will be understood that the section of these ends may be given any form desired capable of functioning in accordance with, the invention.

The openings 3| and 32 formed respectively in the brackets or cover plates I1 and i8 and in the vertical leg 26 of the bottom angle member are alined and are substantially larger than As illustrated the cam end portions of the pins. these openings are rectangular although it will be clear that the invention is not limited to this particular form ofopening. l i

The arms 33 and 34 are mounted upon the inner triangular ends of the pins which extend' through similarly formed openings in said arms whereby said pins and arms are caused to rotate together as hereinafter set forth. The arms 33 uand 34 are provided adjacent their upper ends with angular lugs 35 and 36 which are adapted to extend through openings formed adjacent the ends of a connecting bar 31. The lower horizontal corrugation l2 in which the connecting bar 31 isdisposed is open at its ends to permit extension of the ends of the connecting bar for connectionto the arms 33 and 34. The operating lever L is mounted upon the projecting outer end of the pin 23 adjacent the lower left hand corner of the door. The lower end of the lever L is provided with a substantially triangular opening into which the outer end of the said pin extends, the lever being fastened to said pin as by means of a rivet 38. A quadrant 39 is secured to the door and serves to guide, retain and limit the movement of the operating lever L.

When the door is not being operated it is normally frictionally supported through the horizontal leg 25 of the bottom reinforcing angle 24 upon a supporting track 50 secured to the side .sill 4! of the car under-frame by means of a plurality of brackets 42, one of which is illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 of the drawings.

When it is desired to open the door from its closed position illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings, the operating lever L is pulled down thereupon rotating the pin 23 upon which the lever is mounted within the roller 2|. The rotation of this pin is communicated to the other pin by means of the arms 33 and 34 and the connecting bar 37 so that the two pins will rotate simultaneously. During the rotation of the pinsthe upper left hand corners of the cam end portions thereof will engage the upper portion of the openings formed in the brackets or cover plates and in the bottom angle member and elevate the door above the track so that its support will be transferred'frorn the track to the rollers 2| and 2-2. The cam end portions of the pins are so designed that during the rotation of the pins they will roll relative to the upper margin of the openings thereby reducing the friction be tween these parts to a minimum.

It will be observed, moreover, from a consideration of Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings that the door during the elevation thereof will also have imparted thereto a longitudinal movement in the opening direction, In View of this action clearance is permitted between the cam ends of the pins and the left hand margin of the openings as clearly appears from Figure 3 of the drawings. Upon release of the operating lever L the door will immediately gravitate to its former frictional support upon the track whereby therollers and pins are relieved of the weight of the door. The operation of the door is illustrated diagrammatically in Figures 7 and 8 of the drawings.

It will thus be apparent from the foregoing detailed description of the instant invention that the objects thereof are achieved by the disclosed construction. However, it is not intended that the inventionbe limited to the details of the structure illustrated and described, it being apparent'that numerous changes and modifications of these precise details will be manifest to those skilled in the art. The invention, therefore, is not to be limited except as indicated by the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. A sliding lift door having pairs of laterally spaced alined openings, a roller disposed between each pair of openings, a pin rotatably received in each roller, portions of said pins being disposed in said openings, said portions being non-circular in cross section, smaller than said openings and each having an axis of rotation coinciding with the axis of a pin, and means for imparting simultaneous rotation to said pins in said rollers, said non-circular portions of said pins having rolling engagement with said openings and elevating said door when said pins are rotated.

2. In a railway car having a track and a door having angularopenings, said door being adapted to be frictionally supported upon said track, rollers engageable with said track, axles upon which said rollers are rotatably mounted, portions of said axles being disposed in said door openings, said portions being angular in cross section, smaller than said door openings and ..each having an axis of rotation coinciding with the axis of a roller axle, and means for imparting simultaneous rotation to said axles, an angle of each of said angular portions of said axles engaging said door openings and elevating said door for support upon said rollers when said axles are rotated.

3. In a railway car having a track and a door having inch-circular openings, said door being :adapted to be frictionally supported upon said track, rollers engageable with said track, axles upon which said rollers are rotatably mounted,

portions of said axles being disposed in said door openings, said portions being non-circular in cross section, smaller than said door openings and each having an axis of rotation coinciding with the 'axis of a roller axle, and means for imparting simultaneous rotation to said axles, said non-circular portions of said axles engaging said door openings and elevating said door for support ,upon said rollers when said axles are rotated.

4. In a railway car having a track and a door havingangular openings, said door being adapted to be frictionally supported upon said track,

rollers engageable with said track, axles upon which said rollers are rotatably mounted, portions of said axles being disposed in said door openings, said portions being angular in cross section, smaller than said door openings and each having an axis of rotation coinciding with the axis of aroller axle, and means for imparting simultaneous rotation to said axles, an angle of each of said angular portions of said axles engaging said door openings in rolling contact and elevating said ,door for support upon said rollers when. said axles are rotated.

5. In a railway car having a track and a door having rectangular openings, said door being adapted to be frictionally supported upon said track, rollers engageable with said track, axles upon which said rollers are rotatably mounted, portions of said axles being disposed in said door openings, said portions being triangular in cross section, smaller than said door openings and each .having ,an axis of rotation coinciding with the axis of a roller axle, and means for imparting simultaneous rotation to said axles, said angular portions of said axles engaging said door openings and elevating said door for support upon said rollers when said axles are rotated.

THORVALD MADLAND. 

